Mannar line
Overview
Status	Open
Owner	Sri Lanka Railways
Termini	Medawachchiya Junction Talaimannar
Stations	11
Service
Type	Regional rail
System	Sri Lanka Railways
Operator(s)	Sri Lanka Railways
History
Opened	1914
Reopened	Medawachchiya Junction to Madu On 14 May 2013[1] Up to Talaimannar in April 2015[1]
Technical
Line length	106[1] km (66 mi)
Number of tracks	1
Track gauge	1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)
Electrification	No
Operating speed	120[2] km/h (75 mph)
Route map v t e Mannar Line Legend Talaimannar Pier Talaimannar Pesalai Toddaveli Mannar Gulf of Mannar Thirukethiswaram Mathotam Murunkan Madhu Road Cheddikulam Neriyakulam Northern Line to Kankesanthurai Medawachchiya Junction Northern Line toColombo Fort

TheMannar line is arailway line inSri Lanka.Branching off thenorthern line atMedawachchiya Junction, the line heads north-west throughNorth Central andNorthern provinces beforeterminating at the town ofTalaimannar. The line is 106 kilometres (66 mi) long and has 11stations.^[3] The line opened in 1914.^[4]

The Mannar line was built as part of a plan to create a rail link between Sri Lanka and India. A 22-mile bridge to link the two countries had been proposed as early as 1894, by the Consultant Engineer for railways in Madras (Chennai). The proposal was given serious consideration and atechnical blueprint and cost analysis was conducted. By 1914, the Mannar line was built to connectTalaimannar onMannar Island to the Sri Lankan mainland. On the Indian side, the Indian railway network was extended toDhanushkodi. The international bridge to link the two was not built.^[5]

During the Mannar line's operation, trains connected Mannar and Talaimannar with cities along thenorthern line, such asAnuradhapura andKurunegala, eventually reachingColombo. TheBoat Mail was a major service on the line, allowing passengers to board a ferry toRameshwaram in India. Passengers could use the Boat Mail service to travel between Colombo andChennai.

The ferry service to connect the railheads at Talaimannar and Dhanushkodi lasted until the 1960s, when a cyclone destroyed the pier and rail line at Dhanushkodi. The Mannar line was not affected. The ferry service resumed with a new Indian terminus atRameshwaram.^[5]

All services on the line were stopped in June 1990 due to thecivil war.^[6] The tracks, stations and other infrastructure on the line were subsequently destroyed during the war.

In the 2000s, the rail bridge to connect the two countries was proposed again, highlighting the benefits of connecting the ports ofColombo andTrincomalee withChennai.^[5]

Following the end of the civil war in May 2009, the government initiated various projects to rebuild the entire line. The contract to reconstruct the 44 kilometres (27 mi) line between Medawachchiya Junction and Madhu was awarded toIrcon International, the Indian state-owned engineering and construction company.^[7][8] The project will costUS$ 81 million and would be financed by asoft loan from theIndian government.^[9] Ircon International has also been awarded the contract to reconstruct the 65 kilometres (40 mi) line between Madhu and Talaimannar.^[7][8] The project will costUS$ 150 million and would be financed by a soft loan from the Indian government.^[9]

The section of the line between Medawachchiya and Madhu Road reopened on 14 May 2013, following its reconstruction.^[10] The reconstruction of the entire line was completed in 2015.

The entire line was completed up to Talaimannar on 2015. The Indian Railway Construction Company Limited (IRCON) carried out the construction work of both stages of the project which was financed under a US$425 million credit facility from India. The opening of the reconstructed line was attended by Sri Lankan PresidentMaithripala Sirisena and ministersLakshman Kiriella andRishad Bathiudeen.^[1] The reconstructed line was commissioned by Indian Prime MinisterNarendra Modi on March 14, 2015.^[11]

Railbus services operate from Medawachchiya Junction to Madhu Road,^[12] while daily trains operate between Madhu Road andColombo Fort.^[13]

Four train services operate between Colombo Fort and the Talaimannar Pier daily.

The Mannar line is entirely single track, at5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm)broad gauge,^[14] both before the war and after reconstruction. The line was not electrified and the current reconstruction project will not include electrification.

• 1914 establishments in Ceylon
• 5 ft 6 in gauge railways in Sri Lanka
• Railway lines in Sri Lanka
• Railway lines opened in 1914
• Rail transport in Mannar District
• Rail transport in Vavuniya District
• Transport in North Central Province, Sri Lanka

• Webarchive template wayback links
• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from May 2015